Train to the Roof of the World

Beijing Airport – hotel transfer (SIC)
After arriving in Beijing you will meet our local partners and you will be transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day will be free.

Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at hotel’s restaurant.

Beijing City Tour (SIC)
6:30 – 7:30 am, you will be met by your guide and driver at your hotel lobby before proceed to the Tian’anmen Square. Today you will make a full day tour in the capital of China, Beijing. You will visit the most important spots in this amazing city.

Visit Tian’anmen Square
Tian’anmen Square is the symbol of new China and the largest central city square in the world. You could see two pairs of 600 years old stone lions, the ornamental columns, the outer golden water bridge and so on. Besides, having chance to view all constructions from distance. Such as the National Flag Pole, the Monument to the People’s Hero, the Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, the Great Hall of People, and the National Museum.

Visit the Forbidden City
The Forbidden City, located in the centre of Beijing, was the imperial palace for 24 emperors during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 – 1911). It was forbidden to access without a special permission from the emperor, hence its name ‘The Forbidden City’. Once you cross Tiananmen Gate, you will access a walled complex covering an area of 1,110,000 m². This magnificent architectural complex known in China as the Palace Museum, holds paintings, calligraphy, ceramics, and antiquities of the imperial collections. In 1987, the Forbidden City was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Lunch
You will eat lunch at a local restaurant, near the Forbidden City.

Visit the Summer Palace
The Summer Palace is located 9 miles (15 kilometers) from downtown Beijing and it was first built in 1750. It is the largest and most well-preserved royal park in China and was used by the emperors to rest and entertain. The site, which covers a total of 2.9 km² and incorporates a huge lake, was considerably enlarged during the reign of Empress Dowager Cixi who effectively controlled China for 47 years (1861-1908). Besides the lake and the main hill, this impressive complex includes several pavilions, towers, bridges, corridors and a marble boat.

Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at hotel’s restaurant.

Visit The Great Wall of China (SIC)
You will be met by your tour guide and driver who will pick you up from the hotel and take you to the Mutianyu Great Wall. Mutianyu Great Wall is a green section of the great wall in Beijing with vegetation, green pines and cypresses covering 90 per cent of the section. Enjoy 4 hours of free time at the Mutianyu Great Wall. If you want to enjoy the most beautiful scenery of the Great Wall with ease and comfort, it’s also a good choice to take a cable car (optional).

Lunch & dinner
You will eat lunch at a local restaurant, near the Great Wall of China.

Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at hotel’s restaurant.

Transfer hotel – Beijing airport (SIC)
You will be transferred to Beijing Airport to embark on the Xining domestic flight.

Flight Beijing – Xining

Transfer Xining airport – Xining train station (SIC)
You will be transferred to the train station.

Xining – Lhasa train
You will travel to Lhasa all night by train in a 4 sharing sleeping compartment.

Transfer Lhasa train station – Lhasa hotel (SIC)
Upon arriving in Lhasa, you will be transferred to the hotel for check-in. Acclimatization to the altitude.

Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at hotel’s restaurant.

Visit Ganden Monastery (SIC)
You will travel 47 km from Lhasa to visit Ganden Monastery. Ganden Monastery is located on Wangbur Mountain, on the southern bank of Lhasa River and stands at an altitude of 3,800 meters above sea level. It is one of the oldest and largest Buddhist monasteries in Tibet, and stands atop of the six famous temples of Gelugpa – a branch of Tibetan Buddhism. It has a high significance as a religious, artistic, political and cultural relic and is now known as being one of the ‘Three Great Temples’, together with the Sera Monastery and the Drepung Monastery. Every year, one of the grandest of Buddhist activities – Buddha Painting Unfolding Festival – is held here, attracting thousands of visitors.

Lunch
Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.

Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at hotel’s restaurant.

Visit Potala Palace (SIC)
The Potala Palace, winter palace of the Dalai Lama since the 7th century, symbolizes Tibetan Buddhism and its central role in the traditional administration of Tibet. The complex, comprising the White and Red Palaces with their ancillary buildings, is built on Red Mountain in the centre of Lhasa Valley, at an altitude of 3,700m.

Lunch
You will eat lunch at a local restaurant.

Visit Sera Monastery (SIC)
After lunch you will take a walk in the People’s Park, built in 1911. The park features an artificial lake, several gardens, the Railway Protection Movement Monument, and the century-old Heming Teahouse, a local landmark.

Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at hotel’s restaurant.

Visit Jokhang Monastery (SIC)
The Jokhang Temple is situated in the centre of old Lhasa and it was originally built in 647 AD. The legend says that the site site was chosen personally by the wife of King Songtsan Gampo, the Tang Princess Wencheng. It was built by craftsmen from Tibet, China and Nepal and thus features an intriguing mix of architectural styles.

Lunch
You will eat lunch at a local restaurant.

Visit Norbulingka Palace (SIC)
After lunch you will visit Norbulingka Palace, located on the west edge of Lhasa city is the biggest manmade garden in Tibet. Norbulingka, in Tibetan, refers to “Park of Treasure” and used to be the summer palace of Dalai Lamas who came here to deal with the government issues and hold religious activities. With a peaceful atmosphere and tranquility, you will easily relax when walking inside this pure land.

Walk on Barkhor Street (SIC)
You will continue the tour with a walk on Barkhor Street. Located in the old area of Lhasa, Barkhor Street is a very ancient round street surrounding the Jokhang Temple and the locals are always proud of it. As a symbol of Lhasa, it is also a must-see place for visitors.

Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at hotel’s restaurant.

Transfer hotel – airport Lhasa (SIC)
This morning you will be transferred to Lhasa airport to embark on your flight to Shanghai.

Flight Lhasa – Shanghai

Transfer airport – hotel in Shanghai (SIC)
You will be transferred to your hotel in Shanghai. In the evening, we recommend you to make a cruise along the Huangpu River where you admire the Pudong Financial District, as well as the European style neighbour, The Bund.

Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at hotel’s restaurant.

Visit Yu Gardens (SIC)
Enjoy this full day sightseeing tour of Shanghai. The first stop will be at the Yu Garden.
The Yu Garden is located in the old city area, with a history of more than a hundred years and many beautiful legends and is one of the most beautiful gardens in China. You will also visit a typical Shanghai tea house.

Stroll on The Bund
You will take a 40 minutes walk on the west bank of Huangpu, The Bund, also known as the representative of old Shanghai. You will enjoy various architecture styles along the famous bund which reflects the birth as well as the development of the city.

Lunch
You will eat lunch at a local restaurant.

Visit at the Shanghai Museum (SIC)
As a large museum of ancient Chinese art, the Shanghai Museum boasts a collection of 140,000 precious relics, featuring bronzes, ceramics, paintings and calligraphy. The Shanghai Museum was founded in 1952, since when it has steadily developed. The museum was relocated in the old Zhonghui Building, 16 South Henan Road in October 1959. In 1992, the Shanghai Municipal Government decided to allocate People’s Square, the very center of the city, as the new site of Shanghai Museum.

Shopping at Pearl City
You will visit a pearl market where you can buy a large variety of beautiful pearls.

Old French Concession stroll
At the end of the day you will take a walk in the Old French Concession, a quiet and idle quarter with lots of European style villas and buildings from the early 20th century. The history of this French quarter in Shanghai started in 1849. It was the earliest, and gradually developed into the largest and most propersous, French concession in China. In the 1920s, it was the best and richest residential area in Shanghai. In 1943, the Chinese government took it over and after nearly 100 years ended its history as a French concession.

Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at hotel’s restaurant.

Transfer hotel – Shanghai airport (SIC)
After breakfast you will be transferred at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai.